November 2011
38 posts
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Random Observation #12: Swearing
It is completely acceptable for Danes to swear in English. I think because it’s in a different language it doesn’t mean as much. So it’s not uncommon to hear “shit” and “fuck” in a conversation with a Dane, even if it is a child talking in front of their parents. I don’t know how they feel about swearing in Danish because I have no idea what it...
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Klub Gadstrup
For my Adolescence in Northern Europe class we had to go to a school or after school club to get to know a little more about adolescents in Denmark. I chose to go to the evening club in the town where I live because it’s so close by and is actually where both Gustav and Ulrikke go after school. I was a little bit nervous to go on my own and talk to a bunch of Danish kids, but the whole point...
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TV Glad
I’m a little behind on blogging because I have so much to blog about and not enough time to do it in. So this is from last Wednesday’s field study.
My last Children With Special Needs field study was to TV Glad, which is a TV station that employs people with disabilities. There are people with special needs doing everything, from running the camera, to being on the sound crew, to...
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Random Observation #11: Answering the Phone
Living in Denmark has left me wondering why Americans answer the phone with “Hello?” Where is that going to get you? It just results in the other person wondering who they’re talking to and having to ask for someone, even if the person they were trying to call is the one who answered. In Denmark, you answer the phone by saying who it is. It would make a lot more sense for me to...
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Olso
I spent this weekend adventuring in Oslo and celebrating Thanksgiving. On Thursday I got up really early to get to the airport, and was on my way by 9:30. Much to my surprise, I left the clouds behind in Copenhagen and was welcomed to Oslo by sunshine. I loved flying in over Norway because I could see all of the trees and mountains, which I’ve sadly been living without in Copenhagen. I think...
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En Nat i Biografen
The other night I went to the movies to see Drive with my buddy network! I was excited that I was finally able to attend one of our events, since most of the others were scheduled at times I was busy. Also, I was just excited to go to the movies. Going to a movie costs about $15-$20 in Denmark, so it was kind of out of the question on my own, and my buddy network gave me a great opportunity for a...
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Oslo Bound
I’m off to Oslo for the weekend, but expect some blogging when I get back. Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans out there!
Anonymous asked: If you're here in january, it will get A LOT colder. I like reading about your experiences in Denmark :)
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Winter
All of the seasons change a little sooner than I’m used to in Denmark, and when I got back from the travel break, it was definitely winter. It’s dark when I wake up, dark when I get home on some days, I can see my breath almost all the time, and most mornings there’s frost on the cars and the grass. I’ve adjusted pretty quickly though, since it probably won’t get too...
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Cousins in Copenhagen
My cousin Ally is here! It’s pretty exciting because we don’t see each other all that often, and it’s fun to show her around Copenhagen. She’s only here until Tuesday, so we’re trying to squeeze a lot into a few days, but it’s been really fun because I’ve done a few things that I hadn’t done before. Yesterday we walked around the city and saw a lot...
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Random Observation #10: Healthcare
I think I might have mentioned before that healthcare is awesome in Denmark. Everyone gets it, although there is an advantage to having a job that provides extra insurance. If you get extra insurance from your employer, you can then use private hospitals and get faster treatment. I also recently learned that even though doctors offices are only open until three or four in the afternoon, you can...
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wannabegradstudent asked: Hi! I am currently planning a trip to Italy in January (Rome, Venice, and maybe a day trip to Pisa) and would be so grateful if you gave some travel tips! I know that you listed some of the hostels that you stayed in so I will not ask much about that. How did you travel around Italy? (train, plane, bus) Any recommendations about getting to and from the airports? And what were the names of the...
Anonymous asked: I have been religiously following your blog since I'm going to DIS next semester and love all your posts and pictures! I was wondering when you planned all your break travel plans and the names of all the hostels you stayed at. I'm hoping to go to Italy and Amsterdam while we have our travel break and would love to know where you stayed (and how you felt about it).
rayybayy asked: I love your blog! i went to Italy last year, and i loved it! :) Keep posting!
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Rome
Our final destination for the travel break was Rome. We had a lot to do in only two days, but we managed to squeeze most of it in while still having a good time. We arrived at night, and started nice and early the next day with the Colosseum and the Forum. The Colosseum was amazing from the inside, and walking around the Forum was really cool. I think I could have spent most of the day wandering...
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Florence
Florence was the first place we traveled to that didn’t involve waking up really early or arriving in the dead of night. It was great. And our hostel was one of the best of the trip- it looked like a hotel, was right down the street from the duomo, and the staff were so helpful. We relaxed on our first night, and then the next day headed out to see the city. Ally was staying with her friend,...
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Venice
I’ve always heard about how amazing Italy is and totally didn’t believe it. I thought there was no way it could be that great. And then I went to Italy and it looked like this.
Seriously, though. I loved Italy and Venice was a great place to start. Unfortunately, the weather was not fabulous, but we made the best of the situation. Also, it was a good time in the trip to have some...
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Prague
Prague was our next destination, and it was our coldest of the trip. It was also the first place we ran into people who didn’t speak English, and the cheapest city, by far. We stayed with a friend of Chelsea’s, which was nice because she gave us some tips about the city and places to eat. The best part about Prague being so cheap was that we actually got to try the Czech cuisine and...
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Amsterdam
We arrived at our hostel in Amsterdam at about 1am after some luggage difficulty (still not sure if the problem was the airport or the airline), and although the city was very pretty at night, we would have rather been sleeping than walking around. The next day we had to force ourselves to get going early because we only had two days and wanted to see everything. We were staying in a Christian...
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Berlin
Ok, here we go. The first three days of my travel break were spent in Berlin. After a little stress about having to go through Malmö, Chelsea and I took the overnight train to Berlin and arrived at about 6:30 in the morning. Although we weren’t thrilled about getting so little sleep, as Bostonians, were were pretty psyched to find a Dunkin Donuts in the train station. After finding our...
justcomealongpond asked: Well hello, I'm back! Sorry, I just thought of millions of things I REALLY want to ask you, so HOPEFULLY you'll answer them: What do you think about the area you live in? Denmark is very different in other parts of the country! Have you learned some Danish? Would you consider writing some on here? ;) Why did you choose to study in tiny Denmark? What his been your favourite part about the...
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I'm back!
So here’s a quick rundown of this trip. More details coming later.
Best Hotel/Hostel: I would call it a tie between Singer 109 in Berlin and Academy Hostel in Florence. Singer had a way better breakfast, but Academy had a better location. Both looked and felt like hotels and were completely worth the money we spend on them.
Best Airport: Can I choose Copenhagen? I hate airports after...
Rome --> Copenhagen
Today is my last day of traveling on this break. This morning I’m headed to the airport and I’ll be back in Copenhagen this afternoon. As much as I like Denmark and want to get back to my regular schedule, I’m not so excited to leave Italy. Time to eat breakfast and prepare myself for weather that is 20 degrees colder. I’ll miss you, Italy.
Florence --> Rome
I don’t know if I’ll have internet tomorrow, so I’ll make this post now. Florence is awesome. I’m having a great time seeing things and eating as much gelato as possible. Tomorrow night I leave for Rome, my last stop before going back to Copenhagen. I’m not excited to think about leaving Italy, so for now I’ll think about all the food I’ll eat between now...
Venice --> Florence
Venice has been lovely, although it would have been nicer if there wasn’t so much rain. Get ready for million pictures of canals and pretty blue water when I’m back to my computer. We’re taking the train to Florence this afternoon. Let’s hope there’s some sun.
Prague --> Venice
At 3:30am a taxi is coming to take us to the airport so we can fly to Venice. Not the most ideal situation, but this way we got the whole day in Prague today and the whole day in Venice tomorrow. Prague was gorgeous, and a lot more relaxing because there wasn’t as much to see. And it is so cheap, so we actually got to eat in restaurants and try Czech cuisine.
Amsterdam --> Prague
I loved Amsterdam and all of its quirks. It is definitely a place to come back to with a little more time and a lot more money. Off to Prague in an hour!
